Under the Moonlight
by Black Moon Rising
Summary: Rune Factory. Lukas the poet is dealing with heartbreak after Rosetta marries someone else. Little does he know someone else is grieving besides him. When these two meet, a friendship is struck up and maybe, just maybe, the two can pull through together.


Lukas held his pen beneath his teeth as he flipped the pages of his notebook. He furrowed his brow with impatience, and after a few minutes tossed the notebook away. It hit the rocks and Lukas looked up. He saw the moon, the stars, and the gray clouds, but it seemed like nothing was an appropriate balm to soothe his wounds.

The poet was hurt inside. The object of his affection, Rosetta, had just married the farmer, Raguna. As he went up to wish the new couple a happy life he had plastered on a very fake smile as he congratulated them. The blond tomboy looked so beautiful in her wedding dress. Whenever he had seen her before, Lukas had felt a very strong wave of emotion, which usually supplied him with poems to write.

But now a new emotion was wrought whenever he saw her.

So here he sat, desperate for anything to write. He let his legs dangle over the edge of the mountain, and surveyed the land below. He could see Kardia. The lights in the houses were turning off, one by one.

Lukas didn't know how long he sat there, but it must've been a while because the next time he looked up the moon was further in the sky that it previous had. For a long time he just stared at it. Now that he had time to look at it, he saw that he had never noticed how many craters the moon really had.

"It's beautful, isn't it?"

The voice made Lukas jump. He looked over his shoulder and saw a very beautiful woman standing where the path met the mountain's summit. She looked like a ghost with her ivory skin, long white hair, and elegant white dress, all of which glowed in the moonlight. She had a sort of mysterious aura about her. Lukas struggled to remember her name, and the name Sharron came to him.

"It is," Lukas agreed.

The mysterious woman was suddenly beside him. Lukas jumped again, wondering how she had gotten there so quickly and quietly. "I can sense your trouble," she said.

"What trouble? I really don't know what you're talking about," the poet lied.

Sharron's blue eyes surveyed him for a long moment. "I do not believe you," she said. "I can look in your eyes and see your pain." To Lukas's surprise, she sat down beside him.

Now that Sharron had revealed it, Lukas truly felt the extent of his misery. His dark eyes trailed back up to the sky uncomfortably. "You can tell all that by just looking in my eyes?" he said.

The woman nodded. "That and other things."

"Such as?"

"Well, I've always had this thing about determining emotions just by the way a person acts. The way they walk, the way they talk, and their expressions, particularly the eyes. You don't find me weird for that, do you?" Sharron asked.

"No, I don't think so," he answered after a pause. "That's an amazing gift."

"...Thank you. So what exactly is bothering you?"

Lukas frowned. "Well, something happened yesterday..."

"It was Rosetta, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Believe me, I know what it's like to lose someone dear to you. Just be glad she's alive, and even more that she's happy," Sharron said firmly.

Lukas was rendered completely speechless. The thought had never crossed his mind. "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't understand your question."

"You said you know what it's like to lose someone dear to you. If you don't mind me asking, who would that be?"

Sharron's face was passive. "You weren't the only one hurting yesterday."

"...R-Raguna?" Lukas said in disbelief. "You were in love with Raguna?"

Sharron's responded with a stoic nod. "But I've had heartbreak before, so this is nothing new. With you, however, I'm sure it's much different. I tried finding you at your room, but you weren't there. So I assumed you had come here."

"How did you figure that?"

"Everyone comes here when they've experienced troubles."

"I suppose so." Lukas looked over to where he had thrown his notebook, but was horrified to see it had disappeared.

"Are you looking for this?" Sharron asked. Her ivory hand clasped the notebook. Lukas realized it had been there all along, and just hadn't noticed her holding it. "You're an amazing poet, Lukas. I've often heard you reciting them at night from my room."

"Thanks," Lukas grinned. It felt good to be recognized for his talent. Whenever he had presented them to Rosetta...Lukas's heart and face sank as he thought about Rosetta again.

"And that's why...you must continue writing. No matter the cost. It's who you are, Lukas. You don't need Rosetta to 'live happily ever after,' to use the old cliche," Sharron said. Under the gaze of her bright blue eyes, Lukas felt an intensity so powerful that it was almost overwhelming. The only thing he could do was nod.

"It's nearing midnight, you should go home," the woman suggested. Lukas looked back at the moon for just a moment, and when he glanced back, Sharron was gone.

Lukas gripped his notebook tighter in his hand. His pen lay discarded a few feet away; he reached over and snatched it. Slowly he flipped through every page. Many had just a collection of scribbles, but on others were some of his best work. Lukas smiled as he read each one in turn. His thoughts were racing as he thought of new ideas.

Sharron was right. He couldn't spend the remainder of his life wallowing in self-pity. Rosetta was happy, and that's all that mattered to him now. While the woman seemed to be handling her own heartbreak, it couldn't hurt to be friendly, could it? Lukas's heart felt considerably lighter than it had before Sharron arrived. Maybe a poem would be an appropriate way to thank her.

Under the moonlight and with a smile on his face, Lukas clicked his pen and the poet began to write.

* * *

So, how was it? 

I plan on writing a lot of Rune Factory fics. See my profile for a little more info on that. I have a poll set up, and I want to hear some people's opinions on who the next story should focus on. Also, if you were to review, I'd appreciate that too!

-Sweet Dreamer


End file.
